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Dana Sheehan

Keeping your website up to date can be a challenge – believe me, I know. I spent 16 years maintaining websites full-time. For small businesses and non-profits, websites are sometimes seen as “extra” when it comes to updates, but they’re one of the most important things to keep current, because people are more likely to check you out online before contacting you. That means your website is often their first impression, so you don’t want it to be out of date. I’m going to show you how to set up a system that will help you maintain your website content, as well as show you whereRead More →

I’m working on some home improvements and I have been pricing out all of the costs, including renting a dumpster. I quickly became frustrated when the majority of websites I visited didn’t include the prices. They wanted me to call or fill out a form for a “free quote.” For one thing, this was on a Sunday afternoon and they were all closed, so I couldn’t call and get someone right away. Second, I don’t want to have to wait for an email or call back and have someone sell to me. I just wanted the price of a 10 cubic yard dumpster. That’s it. ItRead More →

Branding is something you’re likely familiar with. Most people think of logos and color schemes when it comes to branding, but it’s much more than that. Branding is really what people think of when they see your logo or hear your name. Who Owns Your Brand? The truth is, you don’t own your brand – your brand lives in the minds of everyone else. I’ll give you an example. If I said the name Trump to you five years ago, you probably would have thought “real estate, hair, The Apprentice, New York.” But if I say the word Trump to you today, your response willRead More →

There is one thing that makes me bonkers – BONKERS – on websites and in emails – the words “Click Here.” Ugh! When I started working at Shady Side Academy in 2010 as their Manager of Web Communications, the first thing I did was ban the words “click here” in any online communications. It was fine to use it amongst ourselves when we were talking things out, but when it came to creating a web page or email, that phrase was changed to something descriptive. “Click Here” is one of those phrases that just won’t die, but it needs to. It’s a useless phrase forRead More →

Oh, Pepsi. What did you do? Why did you do it? This is the type of marketing that ruins marketing for the rest of us. I hate this kind of marketing – the hijacking of a movement for the sake of making a few bucks. This type of marketing puts profits over people, and this ad in particular made that fact even worse by using today’s hot-button topics to sell a soft drink – a soft drink – in an ad that didn’t even address anything, just took several serious matters and threw so much pixie dust on them they were barely recognizable. Friends, this blog post addresses politicalRead More →

Color choice is an important part of your website and marketing materials. I believe that design and usability go hand-in-hand. It is so frustrating to me when when something is so poorly designed that’s it’s hard to use. It’s also very frustrating to see something that’s designed to be pretty but not very functional. This is true when it comes to marketing, especially with websites. There are many aspects to design, but I want to talk to you about color today, because color choice can make or break a website or marketing piece for one reason: contrast. Contrast Isn’t Sexy I realize that talking aboutRead More →

HTML is the code that makes your website go. It’s also the scary part of your website that I usually tell clients and students to click away from if they find it – but today we’re going to look at HTML right in the eye. I don’t expect you to begin coding in HTML (heck, I don’t even do that), but understanding it just a little bit can really save you time and frustration because even though your CMS (content management system) makes adding and editing content easier, sometimes you need to get into the code. HTML 101 HTML stands for HyperText Markup Language. ItRead More →

Visiting a local mall recently, I ran across a new attraction – Escape Room Pittsburgh Mills. You’ve probably heard of escape rooms – they’re the new Big Thing. The premise is that you need to solve clues to “escape” within a certain amount of time. Since I haven’t tried this before, I grabbed one of the flyers they had. Marketing doesn’t need to be a mystery, and oftentimes there are just a few things that can be done to bring your materials together. The best way to show this is to take real-world examples and show you what they did right and what can beRead More →

Tonight I am starting a new course called Create A Website for a local adult education organization. I love sharing my knowledge with the community, but I’ll tell you a secret – I usually learn as much, if not more, as they do! Creating and teaching classes like these so beneficial for me. I love having an online course available so that anyone can learn from me at any time, but there’s something about teaching a roomful of people face-to-face that can’t be beat! The instant feedback lets me know if I’m explaining things in the best way. As technology changes and people become more comfortable,Read More →

Last Thursday I left my place of employment as a full-time employee for the last time. I admit, it was bitter sweet. There are so many things I loved about working there, but most of all was the people. While there are many things that I will miss, I know that striking out on my own is the right thing for me to do right now. And so, my next adventure begins! On Friday I enjoyed my first day being self-employed. Here is my day, as captured on Instagram. Day 1: first morning self-employed. Doing the school run with the kids. So far, the sameRead More →